It’s Flower Time! What to Plant and Where to Plant it

It’s Flower Time! What to Plant and Where to Plant it

By Russell M. Gullo

After a long, cold, rainy spring, the temperatures in Western New York are finally starting to warm up. We can finally go outside and enjoy the outdoors! And what better way is there to celebrate the season than to spruce up our gardens with flowers? Annuals flowers are the easiest way to add pizzazz to your landscape, providing non-stop color from spring to fall. In addition to providing instant color, annuals are great for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, filling window boxes and planters, and for trying new plants from year to year.

We carry a massive selection of annuals, including uncommon and hard to find varieties, home-grown in our greenhouses in Derby, NY. Here are some of our favorites for various growing situations and challenges.

Shady Gardens:

Shade can be a challenge. Plant selection is generally more limited, but we have
plenty of options that love the shade.

These plants are prized for their bi-colored flowers. The flower itself is
trumpet-shaped and lends a somewhat quirky style to the garden. Plant and
enjoy, these flowers are low-maintenance and have been known to attract
hummingbirds.

This plant features beautiful and stark contrast between the leaves and flowers.
Delicate white flowers sit on top of dark plum-colored leaves. It took Proven
Winners® growers years to develop this plant so nicely.

This is my personal favorite for shady areas. The foliage is as attractive as the
flowers and contrasts perfectly. There are so many colors to choose from and they
will grow in sunnier areas as well if you’re planning a uniform look throughout
your yard.

Sunny Gardens:

Named for closely resembling a small petunia, Million Bells is actually not a petunia at all, but a Calibrachia. This plant flowers profusely from spring to fall, producing hundreds of one inch blooms, available in many different colors. Their trailing habit makes them perfect for hanging baskets and containers. A relatively new plant, this is one of our favorites.

Although this plant goes through a period of bloom dormancy in hot weather, its stunning and exotic flowers more than make up for it when in bloom. This is one of our best-selling annuals and is perfect for planting groups in beds.

If you love impatiens, but are planting in a sunny area, Vinca is perfect for you. Very similar in appearance to impatiens, the blooms are round and flat. Vinca is not a fussy plant and is low-maintenance.

Deer & Rabbit Resistant Flowers:

While we love nature, we definitely do not love when animals come and eat all
of our hard work. If you have a problem with deer and rabbits in your yard,
consider these flowers.